We met for dinner in Vieux Montreal, the old part of town, before heading off to a quiet party. Montreal has a well-deserved reputation for being very “European”, and in large part that’s because of Vieux Montreal. It’s been maybe 15 years since I last spent a night out here it’s full of great restaurants and a party we had secured invites too.
There was no getting away from the master here, he won at Circuit Giles Villeneuve twice (88 and 90) and tonight there was a reception and a showing of the Senna movie for those who were interested. Lets face it, for this crowd it was an easy sell, there were not many who passed up the opportunity. To do the while “full circle” thing, it was a Lotus-Renault (in black and gold no less) that Ayrton Senna had his first win in.
Early in his career James Hunt called him a “staggering talent”. I was lucky enough to meet him briefly on a couple of occasions and was there to witness his incredible drive at the European GP in ‘93. The best drive certainly I’ve ever seen and I don’t think its hyperbole to call it one of the best drives in the history of the sport.
One of the quotes from the movie that stuck with me was: “The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into, areas where I have not been before. It’s lonely driving a Grand Prix car, but very absorbing. I have experienced new sensations and I want more. That is my excitement, my motivation.”
I was not after a late night and once the movie was over took a short taxi ride back to the hotel and was in bed by 10 (almost an all-nighter for me). It was a great movie, very personal, very emotional and told the story through both archive interviews and talks with people who knew him and competed against him. The tribute from Alain Prost was very moving. The personal highlight was him winning in Brazil, it showed what sport can mean to people, the emotion was clear and overwhelming. It has to be seen, it was extraordinary. I feel very fortunate to have met Ayrton Senna, even if it was little more than shaking his hand. He really was one of the true greats of the sport.